US Patent Issued to RICOH on June 24 for "Fixing device and image forming apparatus including a pivot restrictor to restrict pivoting of a conductive member" (Japanese Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 25 -- United States Patent no. 12,339,604, issued on June 24, was assigned to RICOH COMPANY LTD. (Tokyo).

"Fixing device and image forming apparatus including a pivot restrictor to restrict pivoting of a conductive member" was invented by Hiromasa Takagi (Tokyo), Hitoshi Fujiwara (Tokyo), Shigeo Nanno (Kyoto, Japan), Yutaka Ikebuchi (Kanagawa, Japan) and Yuusuke Furuichi (Kanagawa, Japan).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A fixing device includes a belt that rotates in a rotation direction and a heater that heats the belt. A conductive member contacts an inner face of the belt and pivots. The conductive member includes one end portion in the rotation direction of the belt, a...